Anguish
by moosmiles
Summary: Clare had been through her parents' divorce. Cancer. Pregnancy. Hours, nearly days of labor. But this was the most pain she had ever experienced. Eclare.
1. Chapter 1

_Title: Anguish_

_Rating: T_

_Chapter: 1_

_Fandom: Degrassi: The Next Generation_

_Summary: Clare had been through her parents' divorce. Cancer. Pregnancy. Hours, nearly days of labor. But this was the most pain she had ever experienced. Eclare._

_Comments: Clare is 18. Eli is newly 20. They are currently living in his parents' basement with their five month old daughter, Talia. After Clare announced her pregnancy, Eli transferred to University of Toronto. Clare isn't planning to start college for a couple years._

_I put a lot of research and work into this story. It may not all be entirely up to date information. Yall know how the internet works. But I tried to be as accurate as possible._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the idea._

The way the day started was not completely unusual.

The sound of soft crying filled the basement a little before 5 in the morning. At first, Clare curled into Eli. He tightened his hold on her, grumbling nonsense. She buried her face in his shoulder, hoping that the crying would cease on its own.

But, when her daughter only got louder, Clare finally opened her eyes and shrugged away from Eli. She sluggishly moved out of bed and crept her way over to the crib in the corner of the basement.

Her five month old daughter, Talia, laid on her back, her sobs increasing in volume. She wiggled uncomfortably, her legs kicking in the air, releasing her from what was left of the swaddled blanket her parents had wrapped her in the night before.

"Oh no," Clare cooed quietly, scooping up her daughter. "What's wrong, Lia Girl?" She nestled her daughter in her arms and patted her on the bottom. When she was sure Talia felt fairly dry, she carried the screaming child over to the rocking chair.

Clare held Talia with one arm and resituated her nightgown to unsnap her nursing bra. "You're gonna be okay. It's not so bad." She forced her nipple into the infant's mouth and closed her eyes in relief when Talia silenced enough to start suckling.

"Everything okay?"

Clare was startled by the sound of her husband's gravelly voice from across the room. She got her eyes to focus enough in the darkness and gave a small nod. "We're fine."

Eli sat up against their headboard, stretching his arms out at an odd angle with a yawn. He took a couple of deep, sleepy breaths before getting out of bed to join his girls near the rocking chair. "Good early morning, Lala," he cooed, reaching out and stroked her fluffy, red baby curls. He paused momentarily, resting his palm against her face, and frowned. "She feel warm to you?" He pulled his hand away and went to turn on one of the bedside lamps.

Clare frowned and leaned down, resting her cheek against her daughter's. She nodded, looking up at Eli as he ransacked through both nightstands for the thermometer. "A little," she agreed. She gave the little girl in her arms a small smile and whispered, "Are you not feeling so great? Huh? Is that what's wrong?"

As if needing to give a reply, Talia's mouth unwrapped from her mother's breast and she sighed a quivering breath. She scrunched up her face and let out another scream.

"Holy hell," Eli cussed, carrying the thermometer in his hand over to Clare.

Clare rested Talia on her shoulder and gave her a few firm pats on the back, trying to get her to release any pent up gas. "Oh, no," she whispered, rocking gently.

When Talia finally let out a burp, she quieted to soft whimpers.

Eli held his arms out to take their daughter. "Here, I got her," he offered.

Clare passed the little girl over reluctantly and then got up out of the rocking chair to use the bathroom.

Eli cuddled Talia up against his chest, cooing, "Hey Talia. How's my girl?" He wedged the thermometer in the nook of her armpit and clicked the device on. She started to cry, struggling to fight the thermometer out of place. He carefully tightened his hold on her arm to keep her still. "Shhhh. I know. It sucks, huh?" he hushed, bouncing gently in place.

The thermometer finally beeped after what felt like an eternity and Eli released her arm to look at the results.

"What's it say?" Clare asked, appearing in the bathroom doorway.

"37.5," Eli read off with a sigh, meeting her across the room.

Clare frowned, reaching out and cupped Talia's face in her hands. She gave her screaming child a kiss on the head. Then, she let out a sigh. "I'll go call the pediatrician." She grabbed her cellphone off the nightstand and walked up the stairs, hoping Talia couldn't be heard on the other end.

Eli looked down at the little girl with the bright red face, tears streaming down her cheeks, in his arms. He tossed the thermometer carelessly on his bed before focusing on his daughter. He breathed rhythmic hushes into her ear, bouncing in time with a beat he suddenly created off the top of his head.

Talia did not seem to care how much effort either of her parents put into comforting her. She just continued to sob. She even wriggled in Eli's arms at one point, choking on her own build up of saliva and tears, and started to cough.

Eli resituated her, resting her on his shoulder, and patted her back until she stopped choking. He almost relaxed when she returned to the previous sound of sobbing. He carried her over to the changing table, hoping that a change of diaper might soothe her.

He had just velcroed the flaps of a fresh diaper on and was sliding her into a clean onesie when Clare returned to the basement. He smiled up at his wife, despite their daughter continuing to cry. "Hey Mommy. What did the doctor say?" he asked in a calm, sweet voice to keep Clare calm.

Clare shrugged, her face scrunched up in frustration. "Baby Tylenol." She blinked rapidly to keep herself from crying. "If that doesn't help in a couple hours, call them back." She slammed her phone on the dresser.

Eli wiggled Talia into some pants, cooing, "Okay, Mommy."

He scooped the screaming child up into his arms and headed towards their bathroom to get the medicine dropper and bottle of baby Tylenol from a cabinet. "Let's get some medicine, Lala." He held Talia securely in the crook of his arm while preparing the dropper. He wiggled the tip into her mouth and gave it a squirt.

Talia let out another cough before whining. She opened her swollen eyes to look up at her father and cuddled in closer to him.

"Oh, yes. I betrayed you. It's the worst," Eli teased with a smile, walking back into the bedroom.

He found Clare sitting on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands, crying quietly to herself. He frowned in concern, suggesting, "Honey, why don't you get ready." He turned his gaze back to Talia. "We'll cuddle while you shower."

Clare lifted her head, her mouth struggling to form words. She nodded before she got up. She crossed the room and smiled sadly, dipping her head to give Talia a kiss on the head. "Behave yourself."

Talia huffed, her whole body shuddering, in reply.

"We're okay now," Eli reassured quietly. "Go on."

Clare pecked Eli on the cheek and stepped past him into the bathroom, closing the door behind herself.

Clare stepped out of the shower half an hour later and was surprised to find that the basement wasn't only silent, but empty. She rolled her eyes at the sudden loneliness and decided to take the time to get dressed. She pulled her hair back in a loose ponytail and teased at her bangs with her fingers for a minute before heading upstairs.

Eli sat at the table in the kitchen, typing on his laptop and sipping coffee from a mug. At his feet under the table, he had placed a little bouncer. He absentmindedly rocked the chair with his foot, keeping Talia fast asleep.

Clare smiled in relief and walked up behind him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pecked him on the back of the head.

Eli craned his neck and smiled at the sight of her. "Hey," he greeted, keeping his voice soft so as not to disturb Talia.

"You are daddy of the year," she complimented, getting a mug from the cabinet. She poured herself some coffee before taking the seat beside him.

Eli finished his work on his computer with a chuckle. "Actually, that's the marvel of modern medicine." He gave his wife a sympathetic smile, reminding, "I have to meet my advisor at 9:30. But I can call and reschedule if you want me to stay home today."

Clare glanced at the clock, taking a long gulp of coffee. How did it become a quarter to eight in the morning? She shook her head, assuring, "We'll be fine. You should probably go get ready."

Eli watched her face carefully as he removed his foot from the bouncer propping Talia up. He nodded, agreeing, "Alright." He gave Clare a kiss before heading back down to the basement.

Clare peered at his assignment and started scrolling through the review of a play they had recently attended at the University of Toronto, sipping her coffee.

"Good morning," rang Cece's chipper voice as she practically danced into the kitchen. She was already done up for the day, probably about to leave soon for work.

Talia let out a little whimper under the table and Clare rapidly placed her foot on the seat to bounce her child again. She looked up at her mother-in-law and shrugged, "I guess."

Cece frowned, taking a seat across from Clare. "What's wrong, Sweets?" she asked.

"Lia's been fussy today," Clare replied, peering under the table at her daughter's scrunched up face. She set aside the mug she had been nursing and got down on her knees. "Oh no. Not the saddest face in Toronto again," she cooed, unclasping the seat and rested Talia against her chest. She moved back into her previous seat, rubbing the infant's back.

Cece let out a chuckle, informing, "So was your father-in-law when he woke up at three to cover a morning shift." She took a sip of coffee before asking, "Any plans today?"

Clare gave Cece a brief smile as she rocked gently in the kitchen chair. She looked down at her daughter's calm face, still slightly pink from all her temper tantrums. She gave Talia another kiss before informing, "Eli has a meeting at school." She shrugged, "But other than that, we're gonna have a lazy, lil sick day."

"She's sick?"

"Just a low grade," Clare assured. She met her mother-in-law's concerned gaze and forced a much larger smile. "She's probably just getting a cold or something. Nothing that babies don't get all the time." She buried her nose back in Talia's hair and took a deep breath of soft baby scent.

"I know I'm supposed to help sub in one of the preschool rooms today, but you don't hesitate to give me a call. Alright, Sweets?" Cece urged, trying to keep herself quiet for Talia's sake, as she stood up.

Clare didn't give her much of a response, too wrapped up in her sleeping child. Being a mother herself, Cece understood and just gave Clare a passing squeeze on the shoulder before she headed out to her car for work.

Not long after Cece had left, Clare got up, cradling Talia's sleepy little body against her chest, and headed back down to the basement.

Eli was standing in the middle of the room, completely dressed, but rubbing a towel through his wet hair. He smiled at the sight of Clare and Talia and rushed to meet them at the bottom of the stairs. He gave his wife a quick peck on the mouth before whispering, "I'm late." He leaned down and placed a long kiss on the top of his daughter's head. "Goodbye, Beautiful," he murmured into her hair. He straightened his posture before running up the stairs to leave.

Clare sighed heavily, looking at the restful little girl in her arms. "Guess, it's just us, Lala."

Clare spent another ten minutes cuddling with her daughter before she let out her own yawn. She decided to lay Talia back down in the crib. She stroked the baby's hair back for a minute and then crept over to her own bed. She laid down on top of the covers and closed her eyes, hoping to get in her own nap.

Of course, that couldn't last long. Less than twenty minutes later, Clare jumped across her mattress to the sound of screaming. Not an ordinary "give me attention" cry. No. This was the sound of someone being murdered in a horror movie. The sound someone would make as if every inch of their skin were being torturously sliced open.

Clare jolted out of bed, dashing to the crib to find Talia wiggling in distress against the mattress. She was wailing like a fire alarm, tears streaking down her purpling face.

"Jesus, Talia," Clare gasped, scooping her up against her chest. She checked Talia's diaper, but the infant was dry. So, Clare climbed back into bed and maneuvered her own clothes to feed the baby again. She placed the wide open screaming mouth against her nipple, trying to coax her daughter into nursing. But, this time, Talia could not be tricked into being soothed by her mother's milk.

Clare frowned, quickly growing frustrated. She felt tears start to prick her own eyes and let out a whimper. "Talia," she begged, blinking tears down her own face, "please stop crying."

Talia screamed in reply, wriggling in her mother's arms.

Clare shook her head, apologizing through tears, "I'm so sorry, Baby. I don't know what to do. I just, I don't." She buried her face in her daughter's hair, weeping with the child.


	2. Chapter 2

_Title: Anguish_

_Rating: T_

_Chapter: 2_

_Fandom: Degrassi: The Next Generation_

_Summary: Clare had been through her parents' divorce. Cancer. Pregnancy. Hours, nearly days of labor. But this was the most pain she had ever experienced. Eclare._

_Comments: _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the idea._

Clare didn't know how long she and Talia had both been crying for, but she heard the front door squeaking on the floor above them and lifted her head to look at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was half past ten in the morning. Clare let out a sniffle, completely spent from her own outburst, but Talia was still hysterical.

The door from the ground floor opened to the basement. Clare turned towards the staircase. "Clare?" Bullfrog practically jumped down the stairs. "Hey Kiddos." He walked over to the girls in the bed and gave a sympathetic smile. "Need a hand?" he offered, sitting beside her.

Clare nodded, shuddering, as she caught her own breath.

Bullfrog pried Talia from her shaking arms and got up to dance the baby around the room carefully. "C'mere, Lil Lia," he cooed, barely heard through the noise she was making.

Clare covered her mouth with her hand, trying to bury her distress before she could converse with her father-in-law. She let out soft whimper before informing, "She has a fever. She hasn't stopped screaming almost all morning."

Bullfrog frowned, searching the crib for a pacifier. Once he found the soothing device, he placed it in Talia's loud mouth. He hushed her softly, swaying from side to side as she quieted down, sucking on the pacifier rapidly. He could feel her heart pounding through her whole body against his chest. "Did you call her doctor?"

Clare nodded, rolling her eyes. "Yeah. Eli took her temperature and she had a low grade, so I gave them a call. They said to give her Tylenol and make her rest."

"When did you last give it to her?" he inquired, watching as Talia's eyes grew heavy.

"An eternity ago," Clare whimpered, starting to cry again.

Bullfrog frowned deeply, stroking Talia's face to gauge the warmth of her body. He looked back up at the young mother in bed. "What do you want to do?"

"What?"

"What do you want to do, Clare? You're her mother," he reminded. "Do you want to give her some more medicine? Call the doctor? We can take her to the hospital."

Clare furrowed her brow, her bottom lip quivering in fear. "The hospital?"

Bullfrog nodded, informing, "Even if you take her to the doctor, they'll probably send her to do blood work and other shit at the hospital, anyway."

Clare blinked, considering the suggestion for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

"Okay," Bullfrog agreed with a small smile.

It took about ten minutes to round up everything Clare thought she would need to take with to the hospital. By the time she was ready, Bullfrog had already put Talia in her car seat and was on the phone.

"Yeah. We're heading there now." Bullfrog nodded, assuring, "I know, Bud. We'll probably be in the waiting room for a while once we get there. Alright. Bye Eli."

Clare didn't even bother questioning the phone call as she got in the backseat with the diaper bag and her purse. Bullfrog made sure the girls were settled before driving to the hospital.

A couple minutes before they pulled up to the emergency room, Talia's pacifier had suddenly disappeared and she started to howl again.

"Talia, hush." Clare wedged her hand between Talia's body and the car seat, wiggling her fingers around to look for the pacifier. Talia's hand grabbed onto Clare's forearm, her tiny nails digging into her mother's skin like a vice. Clare frowned, catching the pacifier between her thumb and forefinger, and rotated her arm out from under the baby. "Shhhh. Talia." She tried to coax the device into the screaming baby's mouth, but it just fell aside.

Clare hadn't realized the car had stopped until Bullfrog pulled the back door open. "It's okay, Clarebelle," he reassured as he unfastened the car seat from the holster.

Clare got out behind him and followed to the reception desk. She felt her heart pick up, commotion all around them, while Bullfrog spoke with the receptionist about Talia, explaining what he had been told by his daughter-in-law. She looked down and Bullfrog's hand was gently holding onto her elbow. She followed close to him and looked down the hallway. They were being guided to a room already.

Once they were left alone in the room, Clare unbuckled Talia from her car seat and scooped her up close. "Shhhh. Mommy is so sorry, Lia. But it's okay now." She laid a string of kisses across her child's face.

Bullfrog sat down in a chair and was fixated on a clipboard of paperwork, filling out what he knew about his granddaughter. Fuck, he really wished his wife was here right now. She knew everything about everyone, especially their kids and grandchild.

Clare sat down on the stretcher in the room and realized there was a baby-sized hospital gown set aside for her child. She decided to wrestle Talia out of her current outfit and into this temporary sheet every other child must have worn in this same place.

Once dressed again, Talia curled in close to her mother, quieting down to whimpers.

Clare stroked her hair back, whispering, "Oh, are you sleepy now? I bet." She gave Talia a kiss on the cheek, rocking gently from side to side. Talia let out a pathetic huff, pouting up at Clare, who couldn't help but laugh, "You're too cute, Lala."

A knock on the open doorway startled the currently content Talia into soft tears once more. Clare frowned, rubbing Talia's back, and looked at the nurse walking into the room.

"Hello," he said in a sing-song voice. He gave a sad smile as he neared the mother and child, cooing, "Are you not feeling well?"

Clare shook her head, cradling her daughter close. "She's been crying since like 5 this morning."

The nurse nodded and reached out, asking, "Can I see her for a minute?"

Clare hesitated, glancing over at Bullfrog. When he nodded, she handed her daughter over.

The nurse laid Talia down on the bed between Clare and himself. He checked her vitals and then wrapped a small band around her ankle to monitor her heartrate. "Okay, Mommy." He lifted Talia back up into Clare's arms and then took her tiny arm in his hand. "Can you hold her arm straight out like this for me?"

Clare nodded, doing as she was instructed. She winced when he started prepping her daughter's arm for an IV. The second the needle penetrated Talia's forearm, she started crying again. Clare shook her head, cooing, "It's okay, Talia. You're okay."

When the nurse had finished filling a couple of vials with her blood, he removed the band tied to Talia's bicep. "The doctor will be in soon," he assured the family.

Talia's tiny hands grasped onto her mother's arm while she sobbed out in exhaustion. Clare bounced gently in place from where she sat on the hospital bed, humming gently in Talia's ear.

Bullfrog got up from the chair and moved to the bedside. He waved the clipboard in the air. "Hey Clare," he interrupted.

Clare looked up at him with a sniffle.

"Can you finish this? I don't really know much of Talia's medical history," he admitted.

Clare nodded, rolling her eyes. "Yeah."

She switched her daughter for the paperwork and got up off the bed. She sat down in the empty chair while Bullfrog took her spot on the bed. She hadn't realized just how much her daughter had grown since giving birth to her until she jotted it all down, pen to paper.

She had just finished signing her signature to the last page when a doctor walked into the room. She got up from her seat and held the clipboard out without a word.

"Thank you." The doctor, a woman who appeared to be a couple years older than Bullfrog, took the sheets and looked across the first page. "Mrs. Goldsworthy."

Clare didn't respond. She just moved over to stand attentively at the hospital bed. She reached out and stroked the side of Talia's face.

The doctor glanced through the information both adults had written down and some notes the nurse who had been in prior jotted out before looking at the family waiting before her. "My name is Doctor Kane. I'm going to be helping Talia today. Do you mind if I take a look at her?" she asked.

Bullfrog shook his head. "Not at all." He got up and then carefully laid Talia on her back in the center of the bed.

Talia let out a couple huffy whimpers, her hands grasping at air for her grandfather to pick her back up.

Doctor Kane gently lifted the gown Talia was dressed in before doing a careful exam of her body. When she pressed down across Talia's stomach, the little girl must have found some of the pressure points tender because she started to cry all over again.

Clare stood aside, struggling not to break into tears as she watched the examination. She felt her breath start to waver and choked back a sob when she felt Bullfrog's hand rest between her shoulders. He gave her a small squeeze, drawing her closer to his side to comfort her silently.

The doctor scooped Talia up and then returned her safely to Clare's arms. "Alright. So, there are a couple tests we're going to need to do."

Clare cradled her daughter close as tiny hands clutched onto her mother's jacket for comfort, exhausted cries continuing to escape the tiny body.

"I'm going to have a nurse bring in a low dose of Paracetamol for the pain. Hopefully that will at least calm Talia down enough to rest. We're going to change her diaper and send that to the lab to test for any possible residue or discoloration in whatever she may be passing through her little body."

"Residue?" Clare couldn't control the word as it flew out of her mouth curiously.

"Mostly what we're checking for is blood. Even microscopic amounts could help us figure out why Talia is so fussy."

Clare looked down at her little girl, who had not loosened her hold on her mommy, letting out soft whimpers.

"We're going to run a CT scan. If we don't catch any good images, we may also do an ultrasound." Doctor Kane gave Clare a sympathetic smile, assuring, "I know this can be a lot to take, but we are going to try to help your daughter any way we can, Mrs. Goldsworthy."

Clare gave a small nod in reply, whispering, "Okay."

"Thanks, Doc." Bullfrog shook the doctor's hand before she left them alone again. He rubbed his hand up and down Clare's back, assuring, "She'll be okay, Clarebelle."

Clare shook her head, swaying from side to side. She turned her head and laid a string of kisses across Talia's face.

Talia let out a soft sigh and buried her face in Clare's bicep. She tensed up once more before a waterfall of vomit flowed across Clare's arm, covering both mother and daughter.

"Holy fuck!" Bullfrog cried out, taking a cautious step back.

"Oh my god!" Clare grabbed a blanket from the bed, trying to wipe her daughter clean.

Bullfrog ran out of the room to get someone to help. He came back barely a moment later with the same nurse as before, frantically explaining what happened. The nurse was wheeling in a small bassinet with them.

The nurse went to the cabinet in the corner and got a new gown and a clean diaper out to put Talia in. He set the garment aside before moving to Clare's side. "Here, Ma'am. Let me help."

Clare reluctantly stepped away, letting the nurse clean her child as thoroughly as possible while she just stood dripping in her daughter's vomit.

Once Talia was clean, he laid the sick child in the bassinet, cooing, "You're okay, Talia. It is awful, I know."

Clare wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her soiled jacket, not caring that she was spreading someone else's vomit across her face.

"I'll be right back," the nurse informed before leaving them once more.

Clare peered into the bassinet Talia now laid in. She had been placed in a similar one after she was born, except this time she was much larger than the plastic bedding. Clare reached in and stroked the side of her daughter's face. "It's okay, Lala."

"Clare. Lia."

Clare lifted her head and sighed in the relief at the sight of Eli, exasperated from running through the hospital to find his family, jogging into the room. He immediately enveloped his trembling wife into his arms, not seeming to notice that she was covered in bile.

Clare clung to him, struggling to keep her tears at bay now that she was safely in his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, whispering, "You came."

"Of course," Eli assured, stroking the length of her neck hidden by her ponytail.

Clare opened her mouth to respond, but someone knocked on the doorframe once more.

Talia's room nurse walked into the room and gave the family a small smile before supplying Talia's IV with a couple tubes of different medications.

Clare and Eli pulled apart enough to no longer be tangled together, but he couldn't keep from holding her against him.

"I spoke to the doctor. I'm also giving Talia some Zofran. It should help with any more stomach problems she may have," he informed. He cleaned up the used syringes before he placed a hand on either side of the cart. "Would you like to come with, Clare?" he offered.

Clare nodded, letting out a small sob. She took Eli's hand in hers, begging through tears, "Can my husband come?"

The nurse nodded, "Of course," before starting to wheel Talia out of the room. Clare followed close behind.

But Eli turned to his father first.

Bullfrog shook his head, urging, "Go."

Eli gave a firm nod before rushing after his wife and the nurse.

The walk to the radiology lab got quieter the longer they traveled through the hospital. The medicine Talia had received eased her body and she stopped crying all together.

When they reached a room, the nurse walked in and spoke briefly with a technician before returning to the young family. "Clare. Mister Goldsworty."

"Eli," Eli interrupted in a rush, afraid to waste a moment of what could help their daughter.

The nurse gave a nod, "Eli." He placed his hands back on the handles of the bassinet nestling their daughter. "I'm going to have to ask you to wait out here until the scan is done." He did not wait for a response before wheeling Talia into the room, making sure the door shut behind him.

Clare stepped closer to the window peering into the room, covering her mouth with her hand. Her whole body shuddered as struggled to keep more of her emotions contained. She felt Eli's hand cup the side of her face, his body pressing up behind her. His fingers brushed through her bangs, trying to ease her.

"It's just a very strong picture, Honey," Eli reasoned, his mouth against her ear.

Clare nodded in reply, but couldn't look away from the sight of her baby being strapped down to a bed. She shook her head, mumbling into her hand, "She's all alone, Eli."

"I know." He laid a kiss on the top of Clare's head, unsure what else to say.

They stood in silence until, what felt like years later, the nurse unhooked Talia and laid her back in the bassinet. He came back out, dragging the cart along. "Alright. She did great," he assured as he led the family back to the emergency room.

By the time the group made it back to a more private area, Talia was fast asleep. The nurse assured them that the doctor would be in soon with the results of the CT before he left the family alone in the tense atmosphere.

Eli turned to look at wife, planning to reassure her again, but finally noticed the bodily expulsion crusting across her clothes. "Clare," he struggled to find words, "Wh-what happened? Wha- Your jacket."

Clare took a glance at him and shrugged, "Talia threw up."

"Clare," Eli tried not to raise his voice. "Wh-what if she's really sick? I can't… Holy shit, Clare. You can't walk around in vomit. I can't have you both like this."

"Eli, calm down," Bullfrog hushed, moving to stand between them before his son could lash out any further. He had been with Clare all afternoon and knew if Eli attacked her, she would become hysterical again and none of them would be helpful after that point. "Your mother is on her way and I asked her to bring Clare a change of clothes." He placed a hand on his son's shoulder, trying to get him to calm down enough to help his wife.

Eli glared up at his father, his heart practically pounding out of his chest, and pushed Bullfrog's hand off him. He sat down in one of the chairs, his arms crossed over his chest, pouting.

Bullfrog's cell phone literally croaked, informing him that he had received a new text message. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. "It's Cece," he informed. "I'm going to go bring her here. You two will be okay?" He looked them both over carefully.

"Go," Eli grumbled, waving his father off.

When he was sure that they were alone, Eli looked up at his wife. "Clare," he beckoned, keeping his voice soft. When she didn't respond, he scratched the side of his face nervously. "Clare, I can't have you catch whatever Talia has." He shook his head, struggling to keep his voice even. "I can't have you both like this." He choked back a sob.

Clare turned to face him and moved to sit in the chair beside him. She took his hand in hers, not speaking a single word. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder.

Eli took a few steadier breaths at the feeling of her against him. He closed his eyes, resting his head atop hers. He laid a few kisses on her face, whispering, "I love you."

"I love you too." But her voice held little emotion.

Eli pulled back slightly to look at her face and frowned. He pressed his mouth to hers, hoping that he could momentarily distract her. Clare's gasp was muffled by his lips. She tilted her head to the side, easing into the kiss, and reached out to cup his jaw for stability.

Eli opened his mouth slightly, about to kiss his wife even deeper when they were interrupted by his mother clearing her throat. He furrowed his brow, letting out a heavy sigh.

Cece and Bullfrog stood in the doorway. And while Bullfrog was smirking, Cece was glowering at her son's actions. "Jesus Christ, Elijah," she chided, going to her daughter-in-law's side. "Your daughter is sick and Clare is covered in god knows what." She took Clare's hand in hers, giving her a soft smile. "C'mon, Sweets. Let get you cleaned up." When Clare stood, Cece wrapped an arm around her, guiding her out of the room.

Bullfrog started chortling as he took the vacant spot beside his son. "You're just a little horndog," he taunted.

Eli shrugged, scratching the back of his head, "She's stressed out. I was just trying to help. It's not like we started having sex in the same room as Talia."

Bullfrog gave his son a pointed look. "Like it'd stop you." Afterall, the couple shared a room with their daughter.

Eli glared at his father, stating, "Sometimes. Not while she's in the hospital."

"Hey Kid. I get it. Clare's had a rough day," Bullfrog assured, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. He gave a squeeze. "You okay?"

Eli nodded. "I'm fine." He looked across the room at his sleeping child and frowned. "Do you think she's actually sick or - "

"Being a drama queen like her father?" Bullfrog teased, watching his son's face.

Eli rolled his eyes, grumbling, "You can never have a serious conversation, can you?"

"The last time I tried to have a serious conversation with you, you told me you knocked up Clare Edwards," Bullfrog reminded pointedly. "And then instantly added you had eloped the day before."

Eli wasn't sure how to reply to his father.

Clare announcing she was pregnant, over a year ago now, had thrown him threw a loop and he hadn't known what to do. So, he had immediately suggested they get eloped. No getting down on his knee. No engagement ring. No big, fantasy wedding she deserved. They just ran to the courthouse the next morning and got married before she was too pregnant. Followed, a couple months later, by Talia's grand arrival. It hadn't been what they imagined, but it worked out okay. Until today.

"Hey."

The sound of his newlywed wife's sweet voice interrupted his train of thought. He lifted his head and smiled at the sight of her in fresh clothes, lingering in the doorway. "Hello, my love," he greeted, getting to his feet and pulled her into his arms. Clare wrapped her arms around his torso, burying his face in her neck. Eli stroked his fingertips gently across her spine, kissing the top of her head. "You feel better?"

She smiled sadly against his neck, unsure what to tell him. By the grace of God, she heard their baby sneeze and stepped away from her husband. "Oh, Lalas," she cooed, creeping over to the bassinet. She looked at the pouty face with bright blue eyes and smiled. "Bless you," she murmured, leaning down to kiss Talia's face. Talia let out a tiny giggle, curling into her mommy's face. Clare carefully scooped the baby up and bounced gently. "Hi my mini."

Eli watched his girls with a smile and walked over to them. "Hi Talia." He kissed her cheek.

Talia let out a couple whimpers, curling into Clare.

"Wha's wrong, Lovely? Do you need to eat?" Clare asked, passing her to Eli briefly so she could adjust her clothes to nurse.

"Should you be feeding her?" Eli asked, holding onto his daughter. He looked down at the tired face and smiled, cooing, "You don't feel so good, Lia. We don't want you puking all over Mommy again." Talia let out a little laugh, her hands grasping onto Eli's arm. "Yes, Daddy has you."

Clare was just about to unsnap the corner of her nursing bra when Doctor Kane's voice suddenly filled the air. "Actually, Clare, your husband is correct." Clare covered herself back up with a frown as the doctor continued, "Talia's tests are showing signs of volvulus." She set a few images on a lightboard, showing off the CT scans they had taken. "A twisting of her intestines, which is caused by a malrotation in the womb."

Clare covered her mouth with her hand and immediately started shaking with guilty sobs as if she could have done something different to protect her daughter from the current condition. She reached out for her daughter in Eli's arms and stroked soft hair back. She buried her face in Talia's hair, taking in her sweet smell to smother her own tears.

The doctor shook her head, assuring, "This is a very common situation, Clare. It can be fixed, and most children go on to live normal lives after surgery."

"Do we have to find someone to schedule _that_?" Eli couldn't bring himself to repeat the term.

"We have a hold on the OR for her right now. My colleague, Doctor Rosenthaul, is one of our head pediatric surgeons and will be preforming the procedure. He will be in shortly to go over the procedure." Doctor Kane gave them a second glance before leaving the family behind.

Eli saw the shattered look on Clare's face, tears pouring out of her eyes, and immediately handed their daughter to her. "Here." He led her over to the cot in the room and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his other supporting her hold on Talia, who seemed content despite the tension.

Clare clung to her daughter, patting her back gently. "I'm so sorry, Talia," she choked out between sobs.

Eli kept his arms around the loves of his life, but looked up at his parents, struggling to keep himself together for his little family. When his mother and father didn't instantly come to his aid, he buried his face against the top of Clare's head. "It's okay," he assured, keeping his voice quiet to keep from crying.

Clare lifted her head to look at her husband and shook her head, "It happened while I was pregnant, Eli. All this happened because of me."

"Clare, stop," Eli chided gently, cupping the side of her face in his hand to wipe her tears away. "The doctor said this is a common thing with babies. It's no one's fault." He kissed her on the cheek and she looked down shamefully at the baby cuddled against her.

Clare wanted to argue with him further, but another knock interrupted them. She looked up and found another doctor walking into the room.

"Mister and Mrs. Goldsworthy," he greeted, stepping over to them. "I'm Doctor Rosenthaul. I'll be the surgeon in charge of Talia's procedure."

Clare just clutched her daughter closer to her chest, but Eli unwrapped his arm from hers to shake the doctor's hand.

Doctor Rosenthaul gave the young mother a sympathetic smile, assuring, "Mrs. Goldsworthy, we will do everything we can to help Talia. This is a common procedure for a child her age." He pulled out the previous CT scan and placed it on the lightboard before flipping the on switch. He pointed to a twisted section and informed, "This right here is Talia's intestinal tract. During early gestation, it seems her intestines did not form properly which, in turn, caused malrotation. The malrotation is what has generated a condition called volvulus. It caused her small intestine to twist around an artery."

Clare closed her eyes, trying not to listen to the doctor any longer. She couldn't handle the pain anymore. It was almost worse than listening to Talia cry all day.

Eli gave her bicep a squeeze, drawing her closer to his chest. "There's a way to fix that?" he asked, unable to keep the sound of hope from his voice.

"We're going to untangle the intestine," Doctor Rosenthaul explained with a nod. "After that, we'll examine if her appendix is in the correct place. We may have to remove her appendix just as a precaution for the future."

Eli nodded, lying his ass off, "Sounds simple enough." Even though, it was probably a delicate surgery for his tiny baby girl. He looked at Clare's swollen face, still crying soft tears, and pressed his forehead against her cheek.

"It should be," the doctor agreed. "There is a chance she may have a significant amount of damaged tissue and then we'll have to perform a colostomy; which is when we attached the two healthy ends together to continue her digestive process. If she has difficulty processing food after that, she may have to have a stoma, an opening we can attach a collection bag to. The stoma may or may not be temporary." He saw Clare start to shake and she let out another sob. "I know this is hard to hear, Mrs. Goldsworthy, but I am obligated to tell you everything that may happen."

"Is that it?" Clare finally found the strength to find words, looking across at her daughter's surgeon. "Is that everything that may happen?"

Doctor Rosenthaul nodded, flipping off the lightboard. "The anesthesiologist will be in shortly."

Once he had left the room, Cece moved to sit on Clare's other side. "Oh, my sweetest girl," she comforted, placing a hand on Talia's back. "She's going to be alright."

Clare looked up at her mother-in-law, letting out another sob. "I can't," she whispered, clutching Talia even closer and made the little girl whimper.

"Clare, careful," Eli snapped, snatching his daughter away. Talia let out a sob as Eli held her close, rubbing her back. "I know, Lala. Mommy's so crazy. You drive her crazy," he murmured, kissing the top of his daughter's head.

"Oh, go fuck yourself," Clare retorted, reaching out to hit him, but Cece grasped onto her wrist.

"No," she warned, standing up and brought Clare to her feet. "You two are not going to start fighting now." She glared at her son. "Do I make myself clear, Elijah?"

Eli didn't bother to look up at his mother, too focused on trying to turn Talia's tears into laughs again. He was desperate to get her to stop crying. He shook his head, rubbing her back up and down. "Lala, hush. It's going to be okay." He kissed her forehead, but she screamed in reply.


End file.
